User`s guide

9-16 YesWare PMS integration
Software Release 2.30 YesWare Applications User’s Guide 08-01016-01
SNMP notification of PMS link disruption
Occasionally, the PMS loses its ability to communicate with one or all of the
posting devices that send billing and guest information to the PMS. This loss
of communication may be intentional, such as when the night auditor
reconciles the billing records for each guest. However, the loss of
communication can also indicate a communications problem between a
posting device such as the YWS and the facility PMS.
The YesWare administrator can configure the YWS to generate an SNMP trap
if the YWS loses communication with the PMS because of an unplanned
event. This SNMP trap can be used to notify a central monitoring center such
as a Network Operations Center (NOC), which then can use the trap to
generate an alam condition and take corrective action. This section and
Procedure 9-4 on page 9-18 describe the requirements and procedure to use
this feature.
SNMP trap configuration requirements
The SNMP trap used to indicate PMS link disruption is configured using the
threshold1 and threshold2 fields in the HOBIC AckNak configuration file
(see Table 9-1 on page 9-8). These thresholds indicate the status of the FIFO
buffer that temporarily holds posting records that could not be sent to the PMS
for whatever reason. The YesWare administrator must select the values of
these thresholds and configure the location of the SNMP trap recipient. The
following sections describe the requirements for doing these tasks.
HOBIC AckNak Threshold 1 selection requirements
The threshold1 field setting contains the lower threshold in the FIFO buffer.
When Threshold 1 is crossed, an SNMP trap is sent to the network location
configured in the threshold1 field. Threshold 1 must be set high enough so
that false alarms are not caused by these intentional PMS shutdowns, but low
enough so that real problems in YWS-PMS communications are detected in a
timely and useful manner.
The YesWare administrator must be aware of the facility’s schedule of planned
PMS shutdowns, such as the time and typical duration of the nightly audit. If
Threshold 1 is too low, false alarms will occur each night as a result of the
nightly audit. If Threshold 1 is set too high, the communications link between
the YWS and the PMS may be offline for several days before a notice is sent,
at which point the visitor may have checked out and any charges incurred will
be lost.
If possible, the YesWare administrator should also learn the "average" number
of YesWare users the facility expects each night. If the nightly usage rate is
unknown, the recommended Threshold 1 should be equal to approximately 10
percent of the total number of rooms wired for YesWare service. Threshold 1
may be adjusted as the usage rate changes at the facility.